


not a happy girl

by modillian



Category: Bandom, Mindless Self Indulgence
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Character Study, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Mild Language, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-13
Updated: 2008-06-13
Packaged: 2017-10-31 12:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/344012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modillian/pseuds/modillian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lyn-Z ficlet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindless_Self_Indulgence#Lyn-Z">based on</a>: <i>Lyn-Z (born Lindsey Ann Ballato on May 22, 1976) plays bass in Mindless Self Indulgence. She was born in a small town in New Jersey and says she was a nerdy-looking art kid who was fat and painfully shy. She also states that she'd go up to young women at her school and call them awful things. She moved to New York to study art.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	not a happy girl

 

 

Lindsey tugged at the hem of her paisley shirt. It kept riding up. Stupid cotton shrink. Her fingers itched. She needed new glasses, the last freaking battered old pair kept sliding down and down. She was ready to swing her locker closed and swear a lot when Kayley and Jeremy came around the corner, dressed in soccer clothes. Lindsey froze.

Kayley smiled hello, and the pair stopped at the water fountain before leaving. Lindsey kept her face down and shoulders up. She left a few minutes later, when they were definitely gone. She thumbed along the glass showcases lining the school entrance, full of fucking useless trophies and ridiculous student art awards that had absolutely no proportion or grace. She could show them fucking grace.

The next day Kayley walked the same route past Lindsey's locker after school, and she must have been way late for soccer practice. Lindsey knew Kayley'd be late, because she made sure to stay extra late working in the art room on some bullshit that the teacher would trash the next day. She could show them fucking _grace_ and symmetry and shit, but that didn't make it art. Like the hack teacher would know anyways.

But Kayley apparently didn't care about being late for practice, or care about leaving Lindsey the fuck alone like she wanted. She came the next day. And the next day. And the next.

Lindsey didn't need to be told she was being made the butt of some joke. Wasn't she nervy enough during school? They were probably going to try some new joke to make her jump. She didn't need her backpack messed with again.

Lindsey could be proactive. Like, say, when people weren't leaving her the fuck alone. She went up to Kayley early in the morning, in the parking lot getting out of her car. "Motherfucking cocksucker, eat shit and die. Leave me the fuck out of your games. I don't care." Lindsey was ice-cold. She hid the rest of the day. Her fingers itched more than usual, but she left right at the school bell anyway.

Kayley didn't come by her again. And it was fine, it was fine, everything was peachy-keen and perfect and no one looked at her so Lindsey felt as great as she ever did. She drew a lot of scraped-up skin and exploding kitchen sinks (not at school).

Then the art teacher bitched her out about not turning in her permission slip to go to the county art awards ceremony, and screw that, like she wanted to go anyways. Lindsey didn't care. Like that pig knew what he was talking about. Who cared about the stupid award ceremonies?

Jeremy was looking at her during P.E., and really, what else could she do? He was friends with Kayley. She hid behind the bleachers.

At lunch Kayley was poking around the glass showcases in the main hall. Walking past, Lindsey spat at her, "Your mother must have fucked a horse to get you, right?" and went to art class. The pig teacher made soothing noises at her about not attending the art show. Lindsey tried not to shrink too much and gritted her teeth.

She stayed too late, way too late at school finishing up a project. The timing sucked, but it was better than her mom and her pig teacher asking after the art awards. She liked the end results at least. The blue and grey waves replaced the the red gore she really wanted, but it staved off concerned meetings of the faculty about solitary, twitchy art freaks who were possibly concealed carriers. School _sucked_.

Lindsey practically ran into Kayley, rounding the bend of the track walking home. The soccer coach was glaring and talking quietly, but stopped when Lindsey stumbled onto the field. Kayley's face was red and streaky. The coach shook her head and headed back to school. Kayley wiped her face.

Kayley sniffed and looked at Lindsey. She scrunched up her face. "I'm sitting out the rest of the season because I got too many yellow cards. School _sucks_ ," she said with emphasis. Disgust, maybe. Lindsey chewed on her lip. Kayley spat on the ground.

"I like your painting." Lindsey's head shot up, wary. Kayley wasn't making a face. "The one in the showcase? You're taking it to the art awards, right?"

Kayley needed a kleenex. Lindsey took a deep breath and rubbed her arms. "Um, no. That one sucks, and I, uh. I didn't finish the one I liked in time for the competition."

"Oh."

Lindsey shifted on her feet, rocked on her heels. "Um. You could see the one I like, maybe. I just finished it. Back at. Uh. School."

Kayley bit her nails. "Yeah, cool. I need a shower anyways."

"School showers? Gross."

Kayley _did_ make a face. "Like the art room is better."

"Yeah, okay, point." Lindsey kind of spasmed and nodded in the school's direction, and they went back in.


End file.
